JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Over the last six months, Shands Jacksonville has been working to get a new 3D mammogram machine online. The machine, called Hologic's Selenia Dimensions, is designed to make it easier for physicians to see potential problems that a traditional mammogram would not catch.
The machine not only takes a regular 2D image of a woman's breast, but also takes 15 different angled images in a 4 second sweep. This type of screening is called "tomosynthesis." A computer then uses those images to put together a 3D view of the breast. Doctors can isolate one "slice" of the images to discover if or where there may be an abnormality.
"Instead of getting just two views of the breast, we're actually looking through the breast and we're able to construct a 3D image of the breast," explained Dr. Marte Wasserman, Chief of the Division of Women's Imaging and UF and Shands. "So, we can look both at that 3D image and we can look at the slices as well to get an overall view of what's going on."
Right now, the machine is only being used as a second, or diagnostic, screening for women once a traditional mammogram indicates there could be a problem, but doctors want the 3D technology to become a primary screening tool. Dr. Wasserman explained that using tomosynthesis from the start would reduce the number of women getting false positives from mammograms.
With Hologic's Selenia Dimensions, early data shows a 30% reduction in the number of patients who need to get additional screenings and a 15% increase in the breast cancer detection rate, according to Dr. Wasserman.
She said this screening is best for women with dense breast tissue, which may obscure the ability to see the breast with a traditional mammogram and the machine does not require any additional radiation exposure.
For more information on this technology and how to schedule a screening, visit the Shands Imaging Center website.